The Interplay of Conservatism and Religiosity on Misinformation Susceptibility: Evidence From the 2022 Malaysian General Election

The spread of online political misinformation on social media and messaging platforms during Malaysia’s 15th General Elections raised significant concerns about its nature and causes. Dubbed the “Green Wave” phenomenon, the campaign period saw an increase in right-wing nationalist and religious content, intensifying fears of declining resilience to misinformation. While prior research has examined conservatism and religiosity separately in relation to misinformation, few studies have explored their combined effects across different platforms. Using a two-wave panel survey (Wave 1 N = 1,800; Wave 2 N = 901), this study examines how these factors shaped misinformation belief and sharing longitudinally during an election campaign. Consistent with prior research, conservatives were more likely to believe and share misinformation on Facebook and WhatsApp. Religiosity, however, showed no direct relationship with misinformation susceptibility, either in belief or sharing. Notably, religiosity moderated conservatives’ behavior: conservatives with stronger religious outlooks were less likely to share misinformation on both Facebook and WhatsApp, though no similar moderating effect emerged for misinformation belief. These findings reveal a complex interplay between conservatism, religiosity, and misinformation, emphasizing the nuanced role of religiosity in being associated with weaker misinformation-sharing tendencies among conservatives. This study contributes to understanding how political and religious factors influence vulnerability to misinformation in diverse digital ecosystems.